What is rarer: diamonds or emeralds?

Sparkling diamonds and green emeralds are among the most sought-after and expensive gemstones. But which gemstones are rarer: diamonds or emeralds?

Compared to the total number of known occurrences, emeralds are rarer. According to a, there are 49 emerald deposits Review 2019 in Minerals magazine. In comparison, there are about 1,000 rock formations that contain diamonds, although only 82 diamond mines are in operation, according to a 2022 magazine article Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry. However, it is difficult to compare the number of diamonds with other gemstones because the industry is more established.

Diamonds are mined by international mining companies with complex pricing structures and commercial partnerships to meet global demand. There are 100 to 150 million caratsAccording to Natural Resources Canada, approximately 22 to 33 tonnes (20 to 30 tonnes) of diamonds are produced worldwide each year.

In comparison between 7,000 to 9,000 kilogramsAccording to 2022 market research data from the British mining company, approximately 7 to 10 tonnes (6 to 9 tonnes) worth of emeralds were mined in 2015 in major producing countries (Colombia, Zambia, Ethiopia, Madagascar and Brazil) from gem fields.

Gemfields noted that it is difficult to track global production of gemstones other than diamonds because mines are spread across the globe and mined primarily by small companies that do not have strong reporting systems.

Related: What is rarer: gold or diamonds?

But these numbers don’t tell the whole geological story. Both gemstones are created through complex processes.

“Both things require unique geological circumstances for everything to come together in the right way.” Evan Smitha senior scientist at the Gemological Institute of America told Live Science.

For diamonds, these conditions begin deep in the mantle, the middle layer of the earth. Diamonds are formed 93 to 124 miles (150 to 200 kilometers) underground, making them diamonds deepest occurring gemstones on Earth, says a 2018 magazine article Gemstones and Gemology.

Diamonds are formed as single crystals carbon. Geologists believe this happens when a change in pressure or temperature or some other chemical reaction cools liquefied, carbonaceous mantle rock, Smith said.

In order for diamonds to reach depths where humans can actually mine them, there must be a rare volcanic eruption called a Kimberlitewhich arises from magma 100 up to 180 miles (170 to 300 kilometers) underground. On its way to the surface, the kimberlite can pass through an area containing diamonds and carry them to shallower depths. But that’s not guaranteed.

“First you have to shape diamonds,” Smith said. “And then they have to be accidentally intercepted and washed to the surface by this volcanic eruption, which is a completely unrelated event.”

Because diamonds are fairly evenly distributed in these kimberlite formations, it is easy to mine diamonds on a large scale, Smith said. “You can sort of dig a big pit and blow it up, fill big trucks with it and then process it in bulk,” he said. “You can’t really do that with emeralds.”

Emeralds form in more complex geologic formations that are more amenable to smaller-scale mining and extraction by hand, Smith said.

Emerald is the green version of the mineral beryl, which gets its color from the addition of chromium and/or vanadium. Beryllium, the main element in beryl, is concentrated in igneous rocks of the continental crust. Chromium and vanadium are more common in the upper continental crust. To form emeralds, these different geological environments must come together.

“You have to somehow get these two to react to make an emerald.” Chris Staplera research curator of geology at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, told Live Science. This usually happens when rocks containing beryllium or beryl come into contact with sedimentary rocks such as limestone or shale. In other cases, liquefied rock seeps through the surrounding rock environment and in this way also absorbs chromium. For this reason, emeralds are often found in collision zones such as mountains, where tectonic plates different geological environments slap together, Tacker said.

Although the geological conditions under which both diamonds and emeralds are formed are special, there is no denying that emeralds are rarer in terms of the condition accessible to humans.

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